Event Title

Presenter Information

Session Number

K02

Advisor(s)

Michael Hancock, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Location

A-117

Start Date

28-4-2016 10:40 AM

End Date

28-4-2016 11:05 AM

Abstract

In 1945, America dropped two bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, leading to devastating effects. Many survivors’ stories have been written as cautionary tales in the hopes that this tragedy would not be repeated. I read John Hersey’s Hiroshima (1946) and Keiji Nakazawa’s children’s manga Barefoot Gen (1985) and watched Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies (1988) before comparing how each medium uniquely helps to demonstrate the various hardships of a survivor after the Hiroshima bombing. I examined the depictions of how each survivor fulfilled their basic necessities such as food and housing. I also explored the progression of time and the long-term results of the Hiroshima bombing. The serial Barefoot Gen’s length gives a years-long overview of what it meant to be in Hiroshima long after the initial bombing. As a result, Barefoot Gen provides the most insight into what it meant to live in Hiroshima after the dropping of the atomic bombs.

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Apr 28th, 10:40 AMApr 28th, 11:05 AM

The Hiroshima Survivor's Tale in Manga, Memoirs, and Anime

A-117

In 1945, America dropped two bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, leading to devastating effects. Many survivors’ stories have been written as cautionary tales in the hopes that this tragedy would not be repeated. I read John Hersey’s Hiroshima (1946) and Keiji Nakazawa’s children’s manga Barefoot Gen (1985) and watched Studio Ghibli’s Grave of the Fireflies (1988) before comparing how each medium uniquely helps to demonstrate the various hardships of a survivor after the Hiroshima bombing. I examined the depictions of how each survivor fulfilled their basic necessities such as food and housing. I also explored the progression of time and the long-term results of the Hiroshima bombing. The serial Barefoot Gen’s length gives a years-long overview of what it meant to be in Hiroshima long after the initial bombing. As a result, Barefoot Gen provides the most insight into what it meant to live in Hiroshima after the dropping of the atomic bombs.